A small tree to 12 m tall. The leaves are alternate, simple, entire, obtuse, and borne on short leaf-stalks. The flowers are very numerous, small, and fragrant; they are produced in terminal, loose panicles. Sepals 5; petals 5; stamens 10; ovary one-locular, one-ovulate, style simple; fruit a reniform achene, about 3 cm long, 2.5 cm wide, attached to the distal end of an enlarged pedicel and hypocarp, called the cashew-apple; this shiny, red or yellowish, pear-shaped, soft, juicy, 10–20 cm long, 4–8 cm broad.

Antiseptic, antidysenteric, antibacterial, antiulcerous, astringent

Tropical Plant Database
King's American Dispensatory
Anacardium occidentale L.
Botanical.com
PIER

Alpha-linolenic acid, anacardic acid, arginine, aspartic acid, beta-sitosterol, folacin, gallic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, lauric acid, linoleic acid, methionine, myristic acid, naringenin, oleic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, pantothenic acid, phenylalanine, squalene, stearic acid, tocopherol, tryptophan, tyrosine (seed); ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin (fruit, leaf, seed); benzaldehyde, limonene, salicyclic acid (fruit); tannin (bark)

For diarrhea, dysentery, colic, as an internal and external antiseptic against bacterial infections, for all kinds of stomach ulcers, for ear and eye infections and to stop bleeding and heal wounds. For calluses, corns, and warts, cancerous ulcers, and even elephantiasis (fruit bark juice and the nut oil); dysentery, fever, inappetence, leucoderma, piles, tumors, and obstinate ulcers (fruit); for sore throat (leaf decoction)

Skin contact with various parts of the fresh plant (leaves, bark, fruit, fruit oil) may cause dermatitis and to produce an allergic response.